Wire unwinding spool and supporting structure



G. W. ROBBINS WIRE UNWINDING SPOOL AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Filed June15, 1951 Sept 1,, 1953 AN NW NW MNR dr ld lm k l NL M mw l a tentedSept. 1, 1953 WIRE UNWINDIN G SPOOL AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE George W.Robbins, Arlington, Ind. Application June 15, 1951, Serial No. 231,722

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a wire supporting truck and a spool formounting a roll of wire to facilitate the unwinding of the wire from theroll to prevent slack occurring in the wire which tends to producetwists causing the wire to break when subsequently stretched.

More particularly, an aim of the present invention is to provide awheeled truck on which a roll of wire may be detachably mounted afterapplication to a spool which is detachably supported on the truck toprovide a structure which will afford frictional resistance to unwindingof the Wire from the roll thereby preventing the wire from lying uponthe ground when the end of the Wire is anchored and the wire is beingunwound, in constructing a fence.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which may bereadily used with the rolls of wire of different lengths for maintaininga desired pressure on the ends of the roll to resist unwinding of thewire from the spool and wherein rotation of the spool with the roll ofwire is likewise resisted so that an initial tensioning or stretching ofthe wire may be accomplished as a part of the unwinding operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus which may bereadily attached to and drawn by a truck or other suitable draft vehiclefor accomplishing the unwindin operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which isparticularly adapted for unwinding barbed wire and which will minimizethe risk of injury to the hands when the wire is pulled from the spoolor reel due to the fact that the resistance afforded to the unwinding ofthe wire will prevent slack forming therein.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view thereof taken substantially along aplane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane asindicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of one element of the device.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the wire supporting andunwinding device in its entirety is designated generally 5 and includesan axle, designated generally 6, formed of end sections including a longsection I and a shorter section 8. A pair of wheels 9 is journaled' onthe ends of the axle 6, adjacent the remote ends of the sections 1 and8, the device being supported as a mobile structure by the wheels 9which are re- 2 tained on the remote ends of the axle sections 1 and 8.by removable cotter pins [0.

A tongue, designated generally comprises a pair of corresponding rods I2each having an end connected to a ring I3. The rods l2 divergefrom thering l3 and are provided with right-- angularly turned threaded oppositeends I 4 which. extend downwardly through diametrical openings- 5 in theaxle e which are formed in the axle sec-- tions 7 and 3 inwardly of andadjacent the inner ends of the hubs of the wheels 9, so that the rod.ends function with the cotter pins Ill to retain. the wheels 9 properlypositioned on the axle 6.. A nut l6 threadedly engages the terminal ofeach rod end M to retain it in engagement with itsv axle opening l5.

A disk l?! is rigidly secured to the axle section 1 intermediate of theends thereof. The axle section i is provided with an opposite threadedend l8 which is threaded into an internally threaded sleeve l9 which issecured to project from the other, inner end the axle section 8. A disk'20 is slidably mounted on the axle section 1, between the disk ll andits threaded end [8 and said disk 21] is provided with an elongatedsleeve 2! which is secured to and projects from the outer side thereof,away from the disk H. The sleeve 2| has longitudinally extendingelongated slots 22 which are oppositely disposed and which slidablyengage portions of a bolt which extends diametrically through the axlesection I and which forms a part of a removable nut and bolt fastening23 which allows the disk 29 and sleeve 2| to slide longitudinally on theaxle section l but prevents them from turning relatively thereto.

An expansion coiled spring 24 is mounted on the axle section l betweenthe sleeves I9 and 2| and urges the disk 20 toward disk H. A spacingcollar 25 is shown disposed between the spring 24 and sleeve 2| toincrease the tension on said spring. Collar 25 may be omitted where theadditional tension of the spring is not necessary or a collar of adifferent length as indicated at 23a in Figure 4 may be employed in lieuof the collar 25.

The device 5 also includes a demountable spool, designated generally 25,formed of corresponding end sections 2? each including a disk 23, of alarger diameter than the disks I! and 24'], and a sleeve 29 whichextends from the inner side of the central portion of the disk 28. Thesleeves 29 extend through the disks 28 and have bores which are sized toslidably engage the axle section '5. Each sleeve 29 is provided with aplurality, preferably three ribs 30 which are equally spacedcircumferentially of the sleeve and which extend from end-to-end thereofand to beyond the end of the sleeve, disposed remote to the disk 28, sothat the unsupported inner ends 3| with the ribs 30' of each sleeve 29overlie the other 3 sleeve 29 and the ribs 30 of the two sleeves arearranged in inter-engaging or meshed relationship. The unsupported ribends 3! are beveled or their outer sides adjacent their terminals asseen in Figure 1, to facilitate threading the sleeve 29 into the bore 32of a roll of wire 33.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that by removing the nutIS, the rod end [4 which engages the axle section 8 may be disengagedtherefrom and said axle section may then be revolved relatively to itswheel 9 for unscrewin the sleeve 19 from the axle portion I8. The spring24 and collar 25 may then be removed from the axle section I, afterremoval of the nut and bolt fastening 23, and the disk 20 and its sleeve2! may then be removed from the axle section I. The spool sections 2'!may then be removed from the axle section I and separated to positionthe roll of wire 33 therebetween. The inner or free ends of the sleeves29 are inserted into the two ends of the wire roll 33 with the beveledrib ends 3i entering the bore 32 of the roll in advance of said sleevesto prevent the sleeves from becoming fouled on parts of the wireforniing the bore 32, due to the bevel of the rib ends 3 E. The rib ends3| are positioned in intermeshing relation, as seen in Figure 1, topermit only a slight rotation of either spool section 21 relatively tothe other. The spool 26, carrying the roll 33, is then reapplied overthe axle portion 58 and positioned with one of its disks 28 against thedisk H the parts 20 and 2!, the fastening 23 and parts 25 and 24 arethen applied, as seen in Figure 1, after which the sleeve 19 is screwedonto the portion I8 to adjustably tension the spring 24 to cause thedisk 20 to frictionally engage the other disk 28 with a desired pressureto resist rotation of the spool 26 on the axle section 1. Theaforementioned rod end I4 is then reconnected to the axle section 8. Anend 34 of the wire roll may be pulled for unwinding the wire from thespool 28 or said end 34 may be secured to a fence post, not shown, andthe truck may then be pulled manually or by coupling the tongue ring l3to a draft vehicle, not shown, so that as the truck is pulled the spool'will turn between the disks [1 and 20 to allow unwinding of the wireand its rotational speed will be effectively resisted by the springtension on the disk 20 for causing the disks 28 to be friction'allyengaged by the disks l1 and 20 so that no slack will occur in the wire.If desired, this frictional resistance to unwinding may be increasedsufficiently to accomplish an initia1 stretching of the wire from itsanchored end as it is unwound.

The roll of Wire 33 has been shown as barbed wire as the invention isparticularly adapted for such material, although it may be used withother types of wire or other flexible elements capable of being woundand unwound and rolls of which are capable of being mounted on the spool26.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously beresorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of'the inventionas hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described comprising an axle formed of endsections, wheels journaled on and supporting said axle adjacent itsterminals, means for forming a detachable and an adjustable connectionbetween adjacent end portions of the axle sections, a first disk fixedto one of the axlesections, a second disk slidably and detachablymounted on said one axle section between the first disk and theconnecting of the axle sections, means non-rotatably connecting the saidsecond disk to the first mentioned axle section, spring means disposedOn the first ihhti'd'ned axle section between said connecting means ofthe axle sections and Sa d second disk and yieldably urging the seconddisk toward thefirst disk, a spool demountably supported on the firstmentioned axle section between said disks having end portionsfrictionally engaged by the disks for resisting rotation of the spoolaboutthe axle, said spool being adapted to support a roll of woundmaterial to be unwoiiiid from the spool by rotation of the spoolrelatively to the axle and to said disks.

2. YA device as in claim 1, said spool being formed of corresponding endsections slidably mounted on the axle anddisplaceable toward and awayfrom one another for accommodating rolls of wound material of differentlengths and being urged by said spring means and second disk toward oneanother and into frictional engagement with the wound roll.

3; A device as in claim 2, said spool sections each including a spooldisk and a sleeve extendinwardly therefrom, relatively to the spool, andwhich is turnably and slidabl disposed on the axle, said spool sleevesbeing normally disposed in spaced apart end-to-end relationship.

4. A device as in claim 3; each of said spool sleeves having a pluralityof longitudinally extending ribs projecting beyond the end thereofdisposed remote to its spool disk, the projecting ends of theribs ofeach sleeve normally overlying a portion .of the other sleeve, theoverlying, projecting ends of the ribs being disposed in intermeshedrelationship for-keying the spool sections to one another.

5. A device as in claim 4,- the projecting ends of said ribs beingbeveled On their Outer sides toward their tcrminalsto facilitate slidingmovement of the spool sections toward one another through the roll ofwire.

6. A device asinclaim 1, said means for detachably and adjustablyconnecting the axle Sections including a threaded portion formed O theinner end of the first mentioned axle sec-- tion and an internallythreaded collar fixed to and projecting from the inner end of the otheraxle section and threadedly engaging said threadedaxlesection end andforming an abutment for one end ofsaid spring means, said collar beingadjustable onthe threadedaxle section end for varying the tension ofsaid spring means. v

'7. A device as in claim 1, a tongue having corresponding portionsconnected to the two axle sections inwardly of and adjacent said wheels,said tongue portions preventing rotation of the axle and rotationof theaxle sections relatively to one another when engaged therewith and beingdetachably connectedto the axle Sections.

GEORGE w. ROBBINS.

References Cited in the file of this patent entree" STATES" PATENTSNumber Name Date 261,658 Bolir'r July 25, 1882 284,109 Waring Aug. 28,1883 1,510,190 Williams Jan. 19, 1926 2,171,436 yacht Oct. 24, 19392,550,556 Haloski Apr. 24, 1951 2,563,377 Schmidt Aug. 7, 1951

